Her Surprise Family

“I’ll go have a look.” He started out of the room and again she followed him. When they reached the staircase, he stopped. She didn’t and ran into him. He reached out and grabbed her by the arms before she lost her balance. “You better stay down here. These stairs aren’t safe. And until the repairs are done, I don’t want you using them.”

Shelby felt the sudden heat from his gentle touch and lost any desire to argue. Then he turned and continued up the stairs. She watched as he moved with easy athletic grace over the broken steps. Finally he disappeared from view, and she returned to the living room.

Shelby crossed to the mantel and studied the row of pictures. Her family. Uncle Ray and Aunt Celia, along with an assortment of cousins. They were spread all across the country, of course. That way people didn’t ask why they never came to visit. All she had to do was make up stories about them. And she was really good at make-believe—she made a living at it. Shelby drew a long breath and released it. She glanced around the room, feeling a flood of contentment.

She finally had her home. And soon it would be filled with people, and she wouldn’t be all alone anymore.

After checking the attic and the other bedrooms, Rafe wandered into the huge master suite. A mahogany four-poster bed sat against the wall. Heavy brocade draperies hung at the large windows, but were so filthy you couldn’t tell what color they’d once been. The floral wallpaper was faded and had water rings. There was also evidence of some vandalism, broken windows and beer bottles and some writing on the wallpaper. The floors were caked with years of dust

He peeked into the bathroom and saw the oversize claw-foot tub. Upon close examination, he realized it was still in good condition, along with the pedestal sink. The marine-blue marble tile could use a good cleaning and some grouting, but all were easy to repair.

Rafe’s thoughts turned to the woman he’d left downstairs. He normally didn’t stop homeowners from following him around on the job site, but he needed time away from Ms. Harris. Her wide-eyed gaze seemed to watch his every move. He couldn’t decide if it was mistrust or just plain curiosity. But it had bothered him. Damn. He hadn’t felt that awkward around a woman since he’d taken Lisa South-erland to the junior prom. And that was because he had gotten brave enough to try to cop a feel. At seventeen, getting his hands on a girl’s breasts was a major accomplishment.

Once again he recalled Shelby Harris in her T-shirt. She had an unbelievable body. Full breasts, long, shapely legs... Rafe groaned. What was the matter with him? He was acting as if he’d never been around a woman before. But it had been a while since there’d been anyone in his life. Still, he knew better than to think about getting involved with a potential client.

After giving himself a good talking-to. he returned to the bedroom. He stopped short when he found Shelby Harris in front of the bay windows. The afternoon sunlight formed a halo around her, softening her pretty face.

A quiet intimacy surrounded them as they stood in silence, neither, it seemed, wanting to break the spell with words. Rafe’s gaze shifted slightly toward the large bed, and an erotic picture of this long-legged brunette lying naked on ivory satin sheets flashed in his head.

His body tightened as his gaze darted back to her. Damnation. “Thought I told you to wait downstairs.”

She didn’t seem intimidated by his anger. “I’ve been up here before. I know which steps to avoid.”

“You still could have fallen. This house is old and has been vacant for a long time. If I’m going to work here, then you’re going to have to listen to my warnings.”

Her eyes flashed defiantly, as if she was about to argue, but then she averted her gaze. “I guess I was anxious to see how much damage you found and what your bid was going to be.”

Rafe looked at his clipboard. He knew that the house needed a lot of time-consuming work. “On the whole, the house is solidly built. I think you already knew that.”

She nodded.

“But the roof had been leaking for quite a few years. I was going to suggest that you replace it, but there are several bundles of shingles in the attic, so we might be able to do a fairly good patch job—for now. Once we stop the leaks, I’ll tear out the ceiling up here in the front bedroom. Then put up new drywall.”

“What about the other three bedrooms and this room?”

“The damage isn’t extensive. This room seems to be in the best shape, and the bathroom is fine, too.”

“So between the parlor downstairs, the stairway and the bedroom room, what do you think it’ll cost me?”

He didn’t know why, but he’d worked to cut his quote to the bare bones. He showed her the bid and watched her eyes widen.

“This is so expensive. You can’t possibly need that much material.”

“It’s not the materials. It’s the labor. I have to pay a guy to come in and tear away and dispose of the rotted wood and plaster.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Well, someone has to do it. And I don’t have the time. My brother and I have several other jobs—”

“I know,” she interrupted. “I know you’re busy. That’s the reason I’m suggesting that, instead of hiring someone to do the tearing out, let me do it. I can work along with you.”

Rafe knew it. The minute he’d pulled into the driveway, he’d had a feeling she wanted more than an estimate.

Well, he had to set her straight. “Look, you have no idea what is involved with this. It’s hard, backbreaking work,.” He eyed her slender body. “I have trouble finding high-school boys willing to do this kind of labor.”

“But this is my home,” she said. “I have a lot invested in it already. And right now I don’t have enough funds left to get this place ready to open for business.”

“Could your family help you?”

She glanced away. “I’m too old to go running to family for money,.”

He looked around “This is a big project, Ms. Harris. Maybe your parents would like to invest in making this place at least livable for their daughter.”

Her hands curled into fists. “My parents aren’t able to help out, Mr. Covelli. And for your information, this house was inspected before the auction. The gas company deemed the stove in the kitchen safe to use. The plumbing was checked out and fixed before I bought the house. So you see, this place is very livable. But if you won’t help me, then I’ll find another contractor who will.”

She pulled a business card out of her pocket. “There’s...the Norton Construction Company in Bedford,” she read. “So, thank you for your time.” She turned and headed out to the hall.

“Norton Construction? They have a reputation for doing things cheap, but you won’t get the quality this house deserves.” He went after her as she approached the stairs.

“It’s what I can afford, Mr. Covelli.”

He reached her side. “Will you please stop calling me that? You make me feel ancient. My name is Rafe.”

She stopped and swung around. “What I call you isn’t going to change the fact that I can’t afford you.”

Rafe could see the sheen of tears in her eyes, then she turned away and put her tennis-shoe-clad foot on the next step. One of the weakened steps. A scream erupted from her lips as she lost her balance and began to fall.

Rafe caught her and managed to halt her progress. He yanked her against him, and they both went down hard on one of the steps. Shelby ended up lying on top of him, his arms wrapped around her tightly. She felt incredible. Her softness against his hardness. He inhaled her fresh flowery scent. Suddenly his body caught fire and he knew he had to let her go.

But he couldn’t move.

Shelby finally pushed herself up and looked at him with those remarkable green eyes. He stifled a groan as his gaze moved to her mouth; he was unable to ignore how badly he wanted a taste.

He blinked away his wayward thoughts. “Are you all right?”

Blushing, she nodded and got off him. “I guess I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“It happens. But you can see why you need to get these stairs fixed before someone really gets hurt.”

“Yes, I do.” She sat down on the step. “And I will. Thank you for coming by with your bid.”

He got up. He started down the stairs, but knew he couldn’t leave her to Gus Norton. “Look, I can give you the names of other reliable companies, but the cost won’t be any less than my bid.” He wrote down two names on a piece of paper and handed it to her.

She took it. “I appreciate it. Thank you.”

He stood there for a few seconds. Even though this woman was tall, she had a delicate build and would have a hard time moving heavy materials, but from what he saw in the thirty minutes of knowing her, Shelby Harris was stubborn enough to try.

“I’ll have a crew here on Wednesday to start the work outside,” he said.

She nodded, but didn’t smile. And for some reason he was disappointed. After all, he was doing her a favor.

“Look, if I get a bit of time, maybe I could help you tear out—”

“I don’t need your charity, Mr. Covelli,” she said stubbornly. “I’ll get it done.”

“I don’t doubt that, Ms. Harris, but I wasn’t offering charity. Here in Haven Springs we call it being neighborly.”

Chapter Two

Shelby stood on the front porch watching Rafe’s Chevy truck pull out of the drive onto the quiet, tree-lined street.

“Arrogant man,” she mumbled as she sat down on one of the steps. What right did he have to boss her around? No man was going to tell her what to do. She wasn’t her mother, weak and submissive, allowing men to control her life, then walk out on her. As a child, she remembered the men who’d come and gone from Nola Harris’s life, including Shelby’s father. Years ago she had vowed she’d never let a man get close enough to hurt her.

Well, she had managed most of her life just fine by herself, and Rafe Covelli wasn’t going to change that.

Shelby glanced behind her at the house, and suddenly she was overwhelmed. How was she going to get all of it done? She sighed tiredly, remembering how hard she’d worked and saved for this place. Now this was her home. Excitement raced through her. Stewart Manor was hers.

She turned and surveyed the vast lawn. It wasn’t so much grass as two acres of knee-high weeds. The dozen or so maple trees could stand to be trimmed. So could the hedge that lined the wrought-iron fence bordering the property.

She stood and went down the steps, refusing to let herself get depressed. All her life she’d managed to handle anything that had been tossed at her, and she’d survived. With this place there was a lot to do, but she could handle it.

Making her way to the rear of the house, she realized that this area wasn’t in any better shape than the front Weeds were everywhere. The large rose garden had been neglected, but there were some bushes that had survived the neglect.

Shelby continued her inspection of the property and followed the old brick walkway past a row of trees. She froze at the sight of a little cottage, its paint peeling and most of its windows broken. Taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart, she kept moving through the high grass toward the building.

A rusty glider swing sat on the small porch, which made memories flood her head. A hot Indiana summer, and she and her mom sitting on that very swing, waiting for rain to cool things off. Shelby had only been six years old, but that period in her life had been tucked neatly into her heart as the happiest time she’d ever spent with her mother. The last summer they were together—before Nola went away.

She felt a chill course through her, and her emotions threatened to surface. She was unable to stop the recollection of the nice woman who used to come and visit them at the cottage. A woman who lived in Stewart Manor and her name was Miss Hannah. She was pretty and always smiling. When she visited in the evenings, she’d bring cookies or ice cream. One time she brought a doll.

Then one night when Miss Hannah came by, Nola sent her daughter to bed.

But that didn’t stop Shelby from hearing their argument. The next day, Nola packed up their shabby suitcases and they left Stewart Manor. A bus took them away, and her mother never explained why.

Not long after that, Nola hooked up with another man, Orin Harris. Nola said he was going to be her daddy. Shelby didn’t want a daddy, especially someone who was mean to her mother. Besides, Orin and Nola were always drunk and at night they’d fight. One day her mother had gotten sick, and with no other relatives to take Shelby, she had been put in foster care. She never saw or heard from her mother again. Later she was told she had died.

Shelby was almost overcome with sadness. But she drew a shaky breath and fought it, as she had so many times. Denial was her protection against getting hurt.

“Hello, is anyone there?”

With a startled gasp, Shelby jerked around to find an old man standing in the rose arbor. He was short, and as he walked toward her, she noticed he had a slight limp. He had snowy white hair and a ruddy complexion, and his smile let her know he wasn’t a threat.

“May I help you?” Shelby asked.

“I’m Ely Cullen, ma’am.” He held out his hand.

She shook it and felt his work-hardened hand. “Hello, Ely. I’m Shelby Harris.”

“I know. The town’s been buzzing about the new owner of Stewart Manor. I was down at the hardware store earlier when I thought I should come by to welcome you to town.” He glanced around and sighed. “It sure was a fine place in its day.” His hazel eyes returned to her. “Could be again.”

“It’s going to take a long time and a lot of money,” Shelby said. “But I plan to turn the manor into a bed-and-breakfast.”

Ely nodded. “Could you use some help getting the grounds in shape?”

Shelby’s spirits soared. “I’d love it. But right now all I can afford are these two hands.” She held them up.

“What if you didn’t have to pay?”

Shelby paused and eyed the old man closely. She didn’t like to take handouts. And he couldn’t possibly handle the hot, humid summer weather. “That’s awfully nice of you, Mr. Cullen, but this is a big job.”

“I know. I did it for over thirty years.”

She stared at the man. “You were the gardener for Stewart Manor?”

He nodded happily. “I used to prune Miss Hannah’s prize-winning roses. Mowed the lawns and trimmed all the hedges. Now I know I’m older and slower these days, but it’s been hard for me to stand by and watch the place go downhill since Miss Hannah’s passing.” His eyes raised to Shelby’s. “I can still be useful.”

“You sure? I could really use the help, Ely, but I don’t want you to be overworked.”

“I won’t, ’cause I’m going to bring my grandson with me to do the heavy stuff.”

“Then I have to insist on paying him.”

He smiled. “We’ll work something out. Right now let’s just spruce up the place a little.”

“I want that as badly as you do,” Shelby said, finally feeling as if things were going in her favor.

Later that afternoon Rafe walked into Maria’s Ristorante and sat down at the end of the bar in the section reserved for Maria’s family.

He was a little early for dinner, but he wanted to talk to his brother, Rick, and this was the best place to find him. Rick’s wife, Jill, had agreed to work the afternoon shift until she began her teaching job in the fall. The two had only been married a month and they were inseparable.

Rafe envied his brother. Rick had found love, and more importantly, he hadn’t been afraid to go after what he wanted. That had been Jill. Rafe hadn’t had time to find and court a wife. Not that he’d wanted one.

If the Covelli curse wasn’t enough to deter Rafe from finding love, he’d had plenty to handle since his father’s accident and death two years ago. Being the eldest son, Rafe had been responsible for Nonna Vittoria, his mother, Maria, and sister, Angelina. And he couldn’t forget the family construction business, Covelli and Sons. Things had gone sour when his father’s accident had been blamed on substandard materials, and Rafaele Covelli, Sr., had been the contractor for the building. It had taken a few months, but with the help of Rick and their cousin Tony, Rafe had gotten the business back on track. They were still searching for the creeps responsible for the accident, and Rafe vowed he wasn’t going to stop until he’d cleared his father’s name.

Recently the family had branched out into different business ventures and were doing well. They even had enough work to employ a bigger crew. But Covelli and Sons had never been about quantity. It was quality that counted, and Rafe had always been the best custom carpenter he could be. His dad taught him that.

That was why he’d laid down the law to Shelby Harris. He remembered the way he’d left her on the porch of Stewart Manor. Her long, jean-clad legs, her emerald-green eyes... Why did he feel as if he’d deserted her?

Because he knew Gus Norton did shoddy work. That man was quick to cut corners. Rafe hated the thought of Gus laying his grimy hand on any of the beautiful woodwork in that house.

“Hey, bro.”

Rafe turned to see Rick coming toward him carrying Jill’s son, Lucas. The eighteen-month-old boy grinned and reached out for his newly acquired uncle.

Rafe took the boy and sat him on the bar. “Hello, Lucas.”

“Hi,” Lucas said, acting shy.

Rafe looked at his brother. “I take it you’re both visiting a certain pretty blond waitress.”

“Yeah,” Rick said as his gaze wandered over to where Jill waited on a table. “It’s tough having her at work all day.”

“Poor thing.” He tickled his nephew’s chin. “Most people have to work for a living.”

“Hey, I work,” Rick said. “I’ve been replacing the hardwood flooring in the living room at the house.” He was talking about the Victorian home on Ash Street that he and Jill had bought a few months back. After moving in a month ago, they’d decided to take their time and redo each room. So far they’d finished the kitchen, master bedroom and Lucas’s room.

“I ran into another fixer upper today. Shelby Harris.”

“She’s the one who bought the big old Stewart place?”

“Yeah. She plans on opening a bed-and-breakfast. It’s a mess right now. You could spend months working on that place. But the craftsmanship is incredible. Dad would have loved it.”

“Didn’t he do some work there when we were kids?”

Rafe nodded. “He designed kitchen cabinets for Mrs. Stewart about twenty years ago. I didn’t go in the kitchen today.”

“So what are you doing for this Ms. Harris?”

“Nothing.”

Rick frowned. “She didn’t like your ugly mug?”

“I was too expensive for her. I think she overextended herself buying the place. Not enough money left over to do any restoring. I don’t think she had any idea what it would cost in time and materials.” He shook his head. “That’s one stubborn woman.”

“Ohh, so you’ve noticed she’s a woman. That’s good. Is she young? Old? Pretty?”

Rafe shrugged. “She’s about our age, and I didn’t pay any attention to what she looked like,” he lied.

“Oh, no. You are in trouble, bro, if you can’t remember whether or not she’s pretty. You’ve been too long without female companionship.”

Rafe gave him a pointed look. “When have I had time? I’ve been trying to keep the business together.”

“And doing a wonderful job, I might add.” Rick opened a package of bread sticks and gave one to Lucas. “I hope you know how much I appreciated your keeping things going while I was away all those years.”

Rafe knew the guilt his younger brother felt for joining the marines, then going to Texas to find his fortune in oil, rather than staying home to work in the family business.

“I wanted the business to keep going—for dad. We don’t have to worry about our independent mom, because she has the restaurant. But Covelli and Sons is our legacy.” It was more than that to Rafe. He remembered his father teaching him about woodworking when he was a child and talking about his sons someday joining the business. Rafe had wanted nothing more than to become an expert carpenter like his father, the man he was named after.

Rick broke into his thoughts. “Well, now it looks like you have more than enough to keep busy,” Rick said. “Charlie told me you’re about ready to rent out the storefront offices.”

Rafe nodded. “I’m putting the ad in next week for that space and also the three low-income apartments upstairs. If you hadn’t been off fixing up your own house, you could keep up with these things.” He turned to his little nephew. “Right, kid?”

Lucas nodded. “Right.”

Rick smiled. “Things have sure turned around these past few months. From the verge of bankruptcy to showing a profit in seven months. Good old cousin Tony was unbelievable coming up with the idea of purchasing the storefronts downtown and restoring them.” He gave his brother a sideways glance. “Too bad we couldn’t get Stewart Manor. Restoring a place like that would be wonderful advertising for the business.”

Rafe shook his head. “What did you want me to do? Give away our services? I doubt she can even afford materials.”

“Maybe something could be worked out. Sounds like this Ms. Harris needs to fix the place up so she can open for business.”

“Maybe she should have taken out a larger loan.”

Rick remained silent.

“So I’m the bad guy here,” Rafe said.

“Bad boy,” Lucas chimed in.

Rick laughed at his son’s antics. Lucas joined in and clapped his hands. Hearing the commotion, Jill Covelli wandered over to the bar. She smiled and her blue eyes shone as she looked up at her new husband. She and Rick exchanged a look that made Rafe almost believe in love.

“What’s so funny?” she asked, and took the time to kiss her husband and son.

“My older brother’s got woman trouble.”

Jill smiled. “Who is she?”

“The new owner of Stewart Manor,” Rick said.

“Oh, you mean Shelby Harris. I saw her at the bank the other day. Mrs. Kerrigan pointed her out to me. A pretty brunette, tall and slender.”

“With the most incredible green eyes,” Rafe said before he could stop himself.

“Looks like another one is about to bite the dust,” Rick said, grinning.

Rafe shook his head. “Oh, no. I’m not as brave as you, bro. I’m not about to mess around with the Covelli curse.”

Around six o’clock Wednesday morning Shelby awoke to the sound of men’s voices outside. She rolled over and realized she’d fallen asleep on the sofa while going over some work. She got up and went to the window. Pulling back the curtain, she looked out to find Rafe Covelli standing on her lawn along with two men. One was an older man of maybe forty-five, the other about the same size and age as Rafe.

It took a minute before Shelby remembered that Rafe Covelli was starting work on the front this morning. Her attention was drawn to how good Rafe looked in his navy T-shirt with his broad shoulders and muscular chest. Her gaze lowered to his faded jeans. His legs and rear end weren’t bad either.

Suddenly Rafe turned and saw her at the window. Their eyes connected and held for what seemed like a long time. Finally Shelby realized she was in her pajamas. She dropped the curtain and hurried to get dressed. After pulling on a pair of jeans, she grabbed a white T-shirt from her dresser and slipped her feet into a pair of beat-up tennis shoes. She finger-combed her short hair and went outside.

The sun made her squint, and she shielded her eyes from the sun as she approached Rafe.

“Morning,” he said sternly. “Sorry to wake you, but we need to get started before it gets too hot.”

“I understand. I’m usually up, but I was working late on the computer.” Shelby looked at the man standing next to Rafe.

“Hi, I’m Rick Covelli. The rude guy’s my brother. Sorry we didn’t warn you we were coming so early.”

“No problem. Like I said, I just overslept this morning.”

“Well, we’ll be as quiet as possible. I just need to check out the gables.” Rick glanced up at the huge brick structure. “I have to admit that I’m anxious to get my hands on this place. Mind if I go upstairs to have a look?”